The present invention relates to a method of quickly, simply and accurately adjusting furniture heights so that transfers (principally the sit-to-stand component) of principally aged, infirm or disabled people are facilitated. Mobility may be maximized, falls minimized and requirements for manual assistance reduced for this group of people.
It is acknowledged that ‘sit to stand’ transfers are amongst the most difficult for certain people, including the aged, infirm and disabled. These people frequently need considerable manual assistance from carriers to stand up from inappropriately adjusted seating, with shoulder and other musculo-skeletal injuries commonly resulting to nursing and care staff as well as patients. Falls may occur when inappropriately adjusted seating contributes to a poor sit-to-stand technique and poor initial standing balance. Falls that may be attributed to inappropriately adjusted seating are common amongst aged people, particularly within residential aged care facilities and hospitals, and may contribute to injuries to aged and disabled people.
Research and clinical experience show that if beds, chairs, shower chairs, toilet seat raisers, commodes and other similar items of furniture in use by persons of this type can be set to an appropriate height with particular respect to:                lower leg length of user/occupant        strength of user/occupant        balance ability of user/occupant.        
By so doing, falls, injuries and associated inconvenience to patients and their support staff can be greatly reduced.
The present invention is directed to this need and provides an apparatus and method devices that can be used to minimise this currently widespread problem.
This invention is intended to enable accurate adjustment of appropriate furniture heights to enable their easier use by frail, aged, infirm or disabled people.
It is apparent from recent research and from the experience of clinicians that falls and balance problems, and the need for manual assistance, resulting in injuries to patients and/or care staff are greatly reduced if bed, chair, toilet raiser, commode, shower chair etc heights are correctly adjusted with respect to the lower leg length, strength, balance and frailty of the user.
Individual experienced clinicians are able to calculate appropriate heights and adjustments for the abovementioned, and other, items of furniture; however a general, simple method or system to enable appropriate adjustments to be made to those (and other) items of furniture by inexperienced or otherwise unqualified care staff, has been lacking.